I think it is important that other beachers realize that skinny cow ice cream is not allowed so that they don't inadvertently have something they think is on plan.

While the carbs and calories might be about the same as the ricotta creme, the ingredients certainly aren't the same. I don't know what ice cream you're having. Looking at their website, I see they have mint ice cream bars, mint sandwiches and mint cones but not strictly mint ice cream, so I'm going to assume you're talking about the mint ice cream bars because the other two are worse. the second ingredient is sugar. the ricotta cremes are artificially sweetened. the third ingredient is corn syrup. that means that roughly 60% of the ice cream is made up of sugar products. definitely not south beach friendly.

Non-sugar added yogurt is allowed because it is just that - non-sugar added. Not all dairy is created equal. All dairy products are going to have sugars based on the natural sugars in lactose, but added sugars are a no-no on this plan.

allow yourself the indulgence if you wish, we're not here to judge, but remember that some people don't want to allow themselves that indulgence and it is important that they realize that it IS off plan.

OK, I am at the end of Day 5 in Phase I. I did cheat a little on three of the days:
one glass of red wine over the weekend
3 little slices of roasted carrot with a piece of roasted pork loin
THREE M&M's
Larger servings of nuts than I should have had

Even though I think I lost three pounds (I'll check in the morning), I am feeling a little defeated because I see all these posts about having a truly CLEAN Phase I. Also, somebody in one of these posts mentioned flu-like symptoms. I feel a little of that tonight.

So here is the plan for tomorrow:

Breakfast: coffee, eggs with a side of black beans.

snack V8 and a piece of cheese

lunch: large salad, then a cup of plain non-fat yogurt

snack: nuts

while dinner cooks: cup of homemade veggie soup

dinner: roast beef, salad

Can you have sardines in Phase I? They are rather oily.

I am beginning Day 6. I am ready for it! Reminders to self: drink water, look again at the limits for the ONE serving of nuts allowed. Eat the fajitas at lunch today but say NO to the tortilla. Have the cup of plain yogurt for mid-morning snack.

My 2 weeks of P1 are up & I'm down a grand total of 7lbs.

I know it is pathetic, but I'm a little disappointed & am wondering how well P2 will go for me.

On the positive side, my husband lost 9lbs the first week (he sucks) but hasn't weighed in yet today so I do not know his grand total.

Planning to go slowly with adding things back. Just have to see how it works out.

Wishing you all a good week!

Edited to add: I'm not saying the 7lbs is pathetic but that I haven't yet been able to change my mindset enough to truly celebrate those 7lbs & was instead a bit disappointed. Thanks for the support.

Men always lose faster than women. It's really not their fault but is annoying. Hang in there. 7 pounds is NOT pathetic at all!

7 pounds is not pathetic. start celebrating your small victories instead of lamenting about what didn't happen.

Today is my 2nd day, and went out to lunch with the girls (uuurrrr) Is Soup Plantation ok? stuck to salads and veggies "BUT" I had a lot, so much I'm sleepy. Then got back to work and had 2 cookies "I hate holiday munchies" Should I start over?

I would start over if it was me. Two really good days means a lot! It's worth it to really do it right. I had two warm-up days before I got in the groove. Today is day 6. One thing that really helps me is to psyche up HOURS in advance, thinking about what I will have and what I will not.

I used to notice myself psyching up for overeating . . . "As soon as I get home I am going to plow into that bag of potato chips (which shouldn't have even been in the house in the first place!)."

I have been working on turning that around by anticipating GOOD eating. "I don't care if there is macaroni salad at the salad bar. It is usually only so-so at a restaurant, anyway. Some time in the future I might have a little now and then, but not today. I am really just there to be with friends. I am going to make a salad piled high with my favorite kind of lettuce, artichoke hearts, etc. I will like it. I will feel good about being with my friends. If somebody offers a cookie later I will simply say no thanks and offer no explanation."

DAY 6

Seven pounds seems good to me - keep going! Okay, so the book says you'll lose 8 - 13 in the first two weeks. Seven seems fine, not a reason to use the word "pathetic."

I am almost halfway there in terms of time, but I think I am only down three pounds. I was not perfect, but very close. We'll see what happens in the next eight days.

I don't have my exact weight because I want to weigh myself on the clinic scale I used at the beginning. I think I'll have a chance to do that tomorrow.

I wrote a response to this, which was deleted. Please don't lecture and patronise people. There is no sugar OR HFCS in the ice cream I ate, not that it is any of your business.

To be fair, when you post your meal plan for people to read it DOES open it up for discussion and, unfortunately, we might not always like what people have to say. She DID have a valid point going off the information at hand. Not to play moderator, but can we all just put the silliness behind us and get back to supporting each other in our weight loss journey??? There's enough people out there trying to drag us down...we don't need to do it to each other.

i'm sorry you thought i was trying to judge, lecture or patronize you. that was not my intention. i was simply trying to make it clear to the others that post on this forum that it was technically not on plan. there are a lot of people here who struggle with every choice they make, trying to nail down exactly if it is on plan or not. no need for further confusion in an already befuddled sea of choices.

since i didn't have the exact ice cream you ate in front of me, i used the best resource i had on hand - the manufacturer's website and listed nutrition information. it could very well be different there than it is over here.

Day 5 of clean Phase 1 for me today. I don't know how much I am down because I am only weighing myself once a week and I am trying to not concentrate on the scale, for me it's all about the mental game and getting back the good feeling when I am eating op.

Have a great day everyone!!!

Good morning Pearlrose, I think you are right on about it being a "mental game" although I prefer to call it a "mindset". After all these years of trying everything under the sun to get the weight off and become healthy, I am finally figuring out that if my "mindset" is right, then it works. Keep up the good work.

Your right TallandThin, it really is a mindset, I just need at the beginning to psych myself lol.

Today is Day 7 of Phase 1- still going strong. I will weigh myself tomorrow to see if I lost any weight. I am not expecting much since this is not my first time having to revert to Phase 1-but it is doing what I wanted accomplished and that is to get rid of the sugar cravings.